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SELAGlNELLACEiE. 
Order CXI. SELAGINELLACE^E. 
Fructification consisting of naked solitary 1-celled sporangia of two 
kinds, sessile in tlie axils of ordinary or modified leaves, which are 
crowded so as to form a special terminal spike in all the Mauritian 
species. Macrosporangia one or few, placed in the axils of the lower 
bracts of the spike, containing each 4 macrospores, which give rise to a 
prothallus, which hears several archegonia, of which one only is fer- 
tilised. Microsporangia numerous, placed in the axils of the upper 
bracts of the spike, containing each numerous very minute microspores, 
from which the antheridia are emitted.- — Stems procumbent or erect, 
with a vascular axis, dichotomously forked, with small crowded oblique 
leaves of two kinds (the smaller ones sometimes called stipules) 
spreading distichously ; vernation not circinate. Distrib. Cosmopo- 
litan, mainly in the warmer zones of both hemispheres. 
1. SELAGINELLA, Beauv. 
The only genus. Characters and distribution of the order. * 
Spikes slender, tetragonous; bracts all uniform. 
Stems decumbent, branched throughout. 
Leaves oblong, obtuse. 
Stems not more than an inch long 1. S. Barklyi. 
Stems 3-4 in. long. 
Leaves pale green, ^ in. long 2. S. Balfourii. 
Leaves bright green, ^ in. long 3. S. obtusa. 
Stems a foot or more long 4. S. rodriguesiana. 
Leaves oblong-lanceolate, acute. 
Bracts lanceolate 5. S. sechellarum. 
Bracts deltoid. 
Stems about \ foot long, branches close . . 6. S. fissidentoides. 
Stems a foot or more long ; branches distant. 
Leaves entire 7. S. concinka. 
Leaves denticulate 8. S. serrulata. 
Stems erect, simple in the lower half or third . . 9. S. falcata. 
Spikes distichous ; bracts, like the leaves, of two kinds 10. S. brachystachya. 
1. S. Barklyi, Balcer. Stems decumbent, densely tufted, not 
more than an inch long, several times dichotomously forked. Larger 
leaves oblique oblong, obtuse, spreading, much imbricating, firm in 
texture, not ciliated ; smaller leaves half as long as the larger, obovate, 
with a distinct mucro. Spikes in. long, tetragonous ; bracts uni- 
form, deltoid, cuspidate. 
Mauritius, Round Island, Sir R. Barkly ! and what is probably a more robust 
form of the same species with larger leaves from Coin de Mire, Horne ! Endemic. 
2. S. Balfourii^ Baker. Stems decumbent, densely tufted, trailing 
to a length of 3-4 inches, with many short ascending compound branches. 
Larger leaves oblique oblong, obtuse, spreading, in. long, pale green, 
membranous, distinctly ciliated, those of the final branchlets placed 
